Thieds of his bight to bockwell



Y L t 8 8 h s m 6 e h s 2 G. P. BURTON.

Wagon-Lock.

Patented Feb. 3, 1880.

N- FEIERS, PHOT0-L|THOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON D. C.

2, Sheets-Sheet 2.

G. P. BURTON;

Wagon-Look.

No. 224,070. Patented Febf3, i880.

N-PEIERS, FMOTOIJTNOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON, D c.

UNITED STATES PATENT Orricn.

enoaen n. BURTON, or MENOMONEE, Wisconsin, ASSIGNOR on TWO- THIRDS or HIS RIGHTTO ROCKWELL J. FLINT AND F. J. McLEAN,.

1 OF SAME PLACE.

WAGON-LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent Are/224,070, dated February 3, 1880.

,Application filed March 22, 1879.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. BURTON, of Menomonee, in the county of Dunn and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in WVag-ons and Locks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in whichl Figure l is a top view of a portion of a wagon withmy improved lock applied toit, also showing the improved reach-connection. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation. Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section in the line x 00 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the circle-plate or fifth-wheel. Fig. 6. is a section across one of the guides, clips, and trips of the locking devices. Fig. 7 is a similar section, showing an ordinary clip-iron in place of the one shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a detail section of one of the locking devices, axle, and fifth-wheel. Figs. 9 and 10 are sections of the gripin g device, trip, and fifth-wheel, illustrating the operation of the griping device. Fig. 11 is a section similar to Fig. 8, but showing the gripin g device applied in rear of the axle of the wagon.

The nature of' my invention consists in certain construct-ions, combinations, and arrangements of parts, as hereinafter described and specifically claimed, whereby the griping devices shown in Letters Patent granted to me 011 the 5th day of November,'1878, can be made, re-

spectively, ofa single piece of metal the springs for keeping the locking devices in condition ready for action can be housed and guarded from undue strain,and their housings made to answer for limiting the movement of the gripingplates while they are being freed from their gripe upon the fifth-wheel the trips can be made adjustable separately on the hounds or braces, and the rear part of the reach, where it is connected with the short bar extending back from the front axle, can be provided with a firmer rolling bearin g.

A in the accompanying drawings represents the front axle of a wagon B, the cross baror bolster O, the king-bolt; D, the fifthwheel 3 E, the front part of the reach; F, the

rear part of the reach, and G the portion to which thetongne is attached, and which has a vibration sidewise about equal to the movement of the griping-platcs I I, in order to release the plates. The connections H, by which the rear part of the reach F is fastened to the front part, E, consist, in part, of semicircular castings an, of oblong form, and across these castings slots at are made, as shown. The under sides of the castings are arched, in order to make the castings light, and also afford roomfor the heads of the fastening-bolts b, which pass up loosely through the slots. Two other oblong castings, I), made with nearly semicircular recesses on their under sides, are fitted upon the castings a a, and kept from longitudinal movement by end shoulders, bi, formed on castings b, as shown in Fig. 2. The two sets of castings a a b I) are fastened to their respective places by screws 11 b and they are coupled together by the bolts 11 l), with nuts on their upper ends, as shown.

This construction of the connections H gives a firm longitudinal bearing forthe rear part of the reach upon the front part, E, which is rigid with the fifth-wheel, and at the same time either the front or hind wheels, and the respective axles with them, can roll freely in a vertical plane at right angles to the reach, the long broad bearings a b permitting this movement, while they prevent all longitudinal movement between the parts E and F by means of the shoulders W.

The fifth-wheel D is made with an opening, 0, between its ends, in order thatthe gripingplates I may beplaced upon it. The gripingplates have slots 73 through them. of a size corresponding very nearly with the thickness of the fifth-wheel, and these slots for about onehalf their length are parallel with the top and bottom of the fifth-wheel, and for the remainder of their length they diverge on oblique lines, as shown at i 71. By this construction a firm frictional gripe of the plates is secured upon the top and bottom of the fifth-wheel when the front wheels of the axle become chocked by any obstacle in front of them.

The action of the plates while gripin g will be understood by examining Fig. 9 of the drawings, and their action while the wagon is groc - moving forward will be understood from Fig.

tion by an obstruction.

The springs J, which keep the griping-plates in their proper gripin'g position, are coiled around the brace rods K and inclosed or housed by a tube, d, which is attached to a bracket of the axle A, as, shown. The tube at is open at its front end and perforated, so as to permit the rod K, after it is passed through the plate I, to pass through it. The forward ends of the springs extend beyond the front ends of the tubes and bear against the griping-plates, and thus there is room enough between the plates I and the tubes to' permit the plates to move back from the position shown in Fig. 9 to that shown in Fig. 10. When the plates are thus moved back the tubes act as checks or stops to prevent strain on the connections. A stop or nut, e, on the end of the respective rods K limits the forward movement of the rods.

The trips or releasing devices L are applied to the top of the rods K, and are made separate from the rods, being held in position by means of ordinaryadjustable clips l. The rear ends of the trips rest upon the top of the fifthwheel, and are bent so as to extend under it. By sliding the trips slightly backward the wear between them and the plates I will be compensated for. These clips act the same as usual, tripping or releasing the griping-plates when it is proper for them to be inactive.

In Fig. 11 the locking device is represented as applied in rear of the axle; but the operation under this arrangement is substantially the same as when applied at the front of the axle. In this illustration the brace and trip are applied to a screw-bolt, m, with a stop-nut, a, and the spring is applied upon a rod, K, which supports the spring J and tube d.

NVhat I claim as new isi 1. In a wagon or vehicle, the combination of a swinging axle-tree, arigid fifth-wheel, and a frictional griping dexice, made in one piece and provided with gripin g portions, as described, and connected to the axle-tree, and locking itself upon the fifth-wheel when the axle has a tendency to swing independently of the tongue of the wagon, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination of the spiral spring J, rod K, stop-tube d, and plate I, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The trips L, in combination with the adjustable clips I, rods K, and plates I, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. The combination of the front and rear -parts, E F, of the reach, fifth-wheel D, and

elongated semicircular slotted bearings H, having end stops, bflsubstantially as and for the purpose described.

Witness my hand in matter of my application for a patent for improvement in wagon- 

